Detroit Pistons: Why the Saddiq Bey trade was a good move…or wasn’t

Detroit Pistons: Why the Saddiq Bey trade was the wrong move

As much as I don’t really think this trade changes much, I can understand why some fans are upset (though some of you need to relax, my god), as Saddiq Bey was a popular player who had shown big potential at times. I will say that I am somewhat bummed, as I liked Bey as a person and hoped it would work out for him in Detroit. But other than sentiment (or outright rage in some cases) there are other reasons this move could be bad for Detroit.

• James Wiseman is a questionable fit too. You can talk about Bey’s fit, but what about Wiseman? The Pistons already have 19-year-old Jalen Duren at center, a guy who has shown big time promise this season. They have Marvin Bagley III, a player who is very similar to Wiseman, as well as Isaiah Stewart, who can also play center, though it’s not his best spot. Trying to find minutes for all of these guys is going to be tough and it’s hard to see how any of them fit together. Is Wiseman going to be a power forward with Duren? Come off the bench with MBIII? Start at center and push Duren to the bench? There are a lot of question marks around this fit.

• Wiseman has done nothing in his career so far. Just like MBIII, Wiseman was the #2 pick in the NBA Draft who has done little to nothing so far. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy or on the floor, so is this just another flyer on a first-round bust? Weaver has done this with Dennis Smith Jr. Josh Jackson, Marvin Bagley III, Kevin Knox and now Wiseman. I guess if he keeps taking shots at first-round busts eventually one of them will pan out, but so far that has not been the case. If Wiseman turns out to be another Bagley III clone, then this deal won’t help the Pistons now or in the future. It’s generally not a good sign when fans of the other team are doing victory laps after a trade, which was the case with Kings’ fans and MBIII and now Warriors’ fans with Wiseman. James Wiseman may have a higher ceiling than Saddiq Bey, but Bey has a higher floor, as he is already a rotation player, which brings me to my next point.
• Could Detroit have gotten Wiseman for less? I am not one who overvalued Saddiq Bey, but he is a rotation player who has shown he can get you 15 points per game. I don’t think any other team in the league was going to offer up a rotation player for Wiseman, who has yet to show anything.
• If this came down to style, why couldn’t the coaches get Bey to play how they wanted him to? It sounds as if there was more friction there than we ever knew, but if they just wanted Bey to be a catch-and-shoot guy, then why not coach him up that way? If he refused to change, that is one thing, but this could also just be viewed as a failure in coaching.
• Bey is much cheaper. Wiseman is already locked into his contract for next season at $12.1 million, with a qualifying offer of $15.8 in his restricted free agency if he doesn’t sign an extension in the offseason. Bey was locked up at $4.5 million with a QO of $6.4, so some of the Pistons’ much-talked-about cap space this summer is now gone. If Weaver compounds this by signing Wiseman to a Bagley type deal, and he doesn’t pan out, then that will hamper the Pistons financially moving forward.

As you can see, there is ample evidence for both sides of this argument, which is why I am firmly in wait and see mode. This is not a move that is boing to make or break the Detroit Pistons, and it can’t really be judged until we see how the offseason plays out.

But I will say this, Troy Weaver is now under big-time pressure to produce this offseason and put a team on the court that has some chance of competing. If we are right back here at this time next year, taking on busts and hoping for lottery luck, then his seat will truly be warm.